Garlic Dill New Potatoes

Posted on June 3, 2011 by

I love finding new ways to serve potatoes. The same old mashed potatoes and roasted potatoes can get old. These are super tasty and easy. I will tell you this though, make sure everybody gets some because they give you wicked garlic breath. 😉 Also, be sure to use fresh dill when making this recipe. One of the great things about these potatoes is how fresh they taste!

Enjoy!

Garlic Dill New Potatoes
Ingredients

6-8 medium red potatoes, cubed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a steamer basket, and set in a pan over an inch of boiling water. Cover, and steam for about 10 minutes, until potatoes are tender but not mushy.
OR
Instead of this steaming the potatoes, I cube the potatoes and gently boil until they are just cooked through, about 12 minutes. I drain them and put them right back in to the hot pot with the heat turned off. This helps get rid of the extra moisture. Leave covered 1-2 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the butter, dill, garlic, and salt. Toss butter mixture with potatoes until they are well-coated. Garnish with additional dill if desired.

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White Chocolate Mousse with Blackberry Sauce

Posted on June 1, 2011 by

You know sometimes the magic of television on food shows can be frustrating. The other day I was watching Claire Robinson make this really yummy looking chocolate mousse which looked like something right up my alley! 5 ingredients, 20 minute prep- yes and yes! Well then I watched her try and melt almost a half of pound of white chocolate with 1/4 cup of warm heavy cream with no double boiler or direct heat. After a quick edit on the show, suddenly the chocolate was melted in the bowl and all was well. I was extremely suspicious of this but decided to give the recipe a go as written. Well let me just tell you, I have edited the recipe because 1/4 cup of really warm cream will not melt half a pound of white chocolate. Making a home made double boiler is super simple, all you need to do is simmer water in a pot that a bowl will fit in without the water touching the bottom of the bowl.
Can I just tell you that at the end of the day this turned out AWESOME. The texture isn’t really that of a mousse though, more like an airy custard. We had so much fun coming up with names for this- the two winners were Cumousse and Moutard. haha! The mousse is very sweet so the tangy blackberry sauce complimented it perfectly.
Enjoy!

White Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients

7 ounces white chocolate, chopped into very small pieces
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 cup

Directions

In a large glass bowl, place the chopped white chocolate and set aside.

Add the egg yolks and sugar to a small bowl and whisk until pale in color.

In a saucepan, over low heat, bring 1/4 cup of the cream to a simmer, and slowly add the cream into the yolk and sugar mixture to temper. Pour the creamy mixture back into pan and stir with a wooden spoon until it coats the back of it.

Set up a double boiler with a pot that will hold a bowl large enough to hold the chocolate and cream mixture. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl, bring water to a simmer. Add chocolate to bowl and begin to gently stir. Pour hot cream/egg mix into a fine mesh sieve placed directly over bowl with the chopped chocolate. Stir until completely smooth. Monitor the heat, the water shouldn’t boil in the pot, and you will need to pull the bowl off the pot as soon as the chocolate chunks are melted.

Set aside to cool for about 3-4 minutes.

In another bowl, whip remaining 1 cup of the cream to almost stiff peaks. Fold half the whipped cream into the white chocolate mix to lighten and then fold in the remaining whipped cream.

Spoon the white chocolate mousse into 4 serving cups and refrigerate until set, approximately 1 hour.

Blackberry Sauce

Ingredients

1 12-ounce bags frozen blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

Preparation

Bring frozen berries and sugar to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often. Simmer 1 minute. Stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice and cornstarch in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves. Add to berries and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Mix in remaining 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and lemon peel. Cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. DO AHEAD Sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm slightly before serving.

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Pasta Shells with Escarole, Sausage and Cheese

Posted on May 30, 2011 by

Earlier this year hubby and I went to an amazing event at a local resort that had beautiful Italian Music, authentic Italian food and it was all under the stars. It was fabulous. One of the dishes we had while we were there was an amazing linguine with spicy sausage and escarole. It.was.so.good. Naturally, I knew I had to try to duplicate it at home. I think part of the secret to how wonderful the pasta tasted was the smokey sausage that was used. I was delighted when a friend gave us a couple of links of a smokey venison sausage. I knew from the moment I saw the sausage that it had a date with destiny.
That destiny? My belly and escarole. 😉
ps. Never had escarole? You should try it! It is a hearty green that tastes similar to spinach to me when wilted. It is slightly more bitter but in the best way possible! Give it a try!

Pasta Shells with Escarole, Sausage and Cheese

1 14- to 15-ounce head of escarole, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide ribbons (about 10 cups)
12 oz medium pasta shells
4 teaspoons olive oil
10 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage (about 3 links), casings removed- We used venison sausage (diced) or you could use a sausage like Kielbasa.
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 large red onion, diced
3/4 cup corn
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
3 tablespoons thinly sliced drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano cheese or fresh grated parmesan

Preparation

Cook escarole ribbons in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer escarole to strainer and drain, keeping water boiling. Add pasta shells to boiling water; cook pasta shells until just tender, stirring occasionally. Ladle out 1/2 cup cooking water; reserve. Drain pasta shells; return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté until cooked through, breaking up with fork if using loose sausage, about 5 minutes. Add remaining oil, onion, and fennel seeds; sauté until onion is almost tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, corn, garlic, escarole, and reserved 1/2 cup cooking water and cream; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in cheese, reserving 1 tablespoon for garnish. Season with salt and pepper.

Add sausage mixture to pasta; toss. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with cheese.

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Island Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on May 28, 2011 by

Sometimes you just need a cookie. A real cookie. One that tastes like butter and that isn’t store-bought. This crisis struck me earlier this week and while frantically scouring my cookbook shelf I found a horrifically cheesy Nestle Tollhouse cookbook. It even has the super thick cardboard pages like a children’s book, ha!. I think I bought it at a yard sale for .25 cents over 5 years ago but darn it if this recipe didn’t look delicious. I swapped out the walnuts in the recipe for macadamia nuts because frankly, I just don’t think of any island when eating walnuts. I also added some white chocolate chips which tasted great. The original recipe said that it makes 30 something cookies, but I made my cookies a little shall we say “curvy” so I got about 21 out of this batch.
These cookies were super easy and delicious. A nice break from a traditional chocolate chip cookie but the perfect answer to a cookie craving!

Island chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Milk Chocolate Morsels (shhh I used Ghiradelli 😉 )
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup flaked coconut toasted, if desired
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Beat in egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels, coconut and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 8 to 11 minutes (mine took about 10 minutes, rotating half way through) or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*note- my rule of thumb for cookies: If it looks brown then they are over cooked to me. I pull them out right before turning brown and leave them to cool. This gives me a chewy cookie but never crispy.

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Menu: 5/30-6/4

Posted on May 28, 2011 by

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! I hope you will all remember and honor those soldiers who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.

Now back to the menu! 😉 I have some fun new recipes to try out. Can’t wait!

Monday: Dill Chicken Paillards with tomato dill relish, orzo and spinach au gratin

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin with mustard cream sauce, mashed potatoes and roasted green beans

Wednesday: Class

Thursday: Chicken Picatta and duchess potatoes

Friday: The first meeting of our Supper Club! Thai Food Friday. I can’t wait to show you the spread!

Saturday: Beef and Lamb Burgers with cheddar and caper remoulade, crispy oven fries

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Cheesy Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Posted on May 27, 2011 by

I am a big fan of getting the most out of anywhere I am cooking. If I am roasting something in the oven and have some extra room, I will roast some garlic. I also do this when I boil water for pasta, sometimes I use my slotted spoon or tongs to remove the pasta and then blanch vegetables in the same water. The same goes for the grill. I was making Herbed Grilled Chicken with blue cheese, and I knew I wanted to make something else on the grill for my dinner. I decided that roasted tomatoes with garlic oil would fit the bill! They really picked up the smokiness from the grill and tasted delicious in my pasta.

Cheesy Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes
2 whole cloves of garlic-peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
cracked black pepper

1 pound short pasta
3 tablespoons pesto
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

To roast the tomatoes, lay out a piece of aluminum foil that you will be able to fold easily. Place grape tomatoes in center of the aluminum foil, along with the two garlic cloves, olive oil, salt and cracked pepper to your liking. Pull the ends of the foil up and crease along the top to make a package. Be sure to pinch the sides of the package and fold up as well so that oil doesn’t escape. Put foil package on a preheated grill (at least 350 degrees). Roast 7-8 minutes. Once you take it off the grill, remove the garlic cloves and set aside.

While tomatoes are roasting, boil your pasta according to the package directions. Drain Pasta (reserve about 1/4 cup of pasta water).Return pasta to pan and add the pesto, ricotta cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, roasted tomatoes and oil from foil package and 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese. Thin with pasta water as necessary. Season with additional salt, pepper and pesto to taste.

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Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese

Posted on May 26, 2011 by

What a fun meal to make on the grill! The chicken turned out really flavorful. Instead of making this with the boneless skinless breast the recipe called for, I practiced breaking down a chicken into 8 pieces and deboning the thighs and breasts, which I need to know for my cooking classes. Do I recommend you do this? Probably not. However, it turned out great with white and dark meat, so use whatever meat you prefer. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time for bone in chicken.
I served this up with a creamy pesto pasta with roasted tomatoes. Look for that recipe up next! It complimented the chicken really well!

*Quick Tip: Don’t be intimidated by Herbes De Provence. You’d think that because of the name that it will be expensive but it is extremely inexpensive. You can find it at your local grocery store and I have also found it at World Market. The standard mixture typically contains savory, fennel, basil, thyme flowers, rosemary, bay leaf, chervil, tarragon, marjoram, and mint.

Herbed Balsamic Chicken with Blue Cheese

6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves or legs and thighs
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
6 tablespoons crumbled blue or gorgonzola cheese

Preparation

Place chicken in large resealable plastic bag. Whisk vinegar, 3 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add to chicken; seal bag. Chill 2 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill rack generously with oil. Arrange chicken on grill. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side (longer for bone in chicken, should be 165 degrees for the internal temp). Transfer to plates; top each piece of chicken with about 1 tablespoon of crumbled blue cheese immediately so that cheese begins to melt.

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